Archive for February, 2005

NC Dems/Princeville

Monday, February 21st, 2005

NC Dems: Host Rusty Jacobs speaks with Charlotte Observer reporter Mark Johnson about the election of Jerry Meek as chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party. Meek defeated Ed Turlington in a vote on Saturday. Turlington was backed by most of the Party’s leadership, but Meek won by appealing to the grass roots members of the Party. (12:00)

Welcome to Princeville: The town of Princeville celebrates its 120th birthday this week. Princeville is one of the first towns in the nation to be founded by African Americans after the Civil War. Its history has been shaped by recurrent flooding, most recently by the devastating floods of Hurricane Floyd in 1999. Host Rusty Jacobs leads a discussion about the history, and the future, of Princeville. Guests include: Sam Knight, Princeville town manager; Rudolf Knight, a tour guide from neighboring Tarboro; and Joe Miller, reporter with the Rocky Mount Telegram. Listener Call-In. (47:00)

Listen Here

Legislature/Alex de Grassi/St. Dale

Friday, February 18th, 2005

Legislative Update: Host Melinda Penkava speaks to WUNC reporter Laura Leslie about the latest news from the North Carolina Legislature. On the docket: hurricane relief, the Currituck County airport controversy, ongoing election issues, and a law to close a loophole for prosecuting hit-and-run drivers. (12:00)

Alex de Grassi: Host Melinda Penkava speaks with guitarist Alex de Grassi. de Grassi is often cited as one of the world’s top fingerstyle, steel-string acoustic guitarists. His new album is “Now and Then: Folk Songs for the 21st Century” (33rd Street Records/2005). de Grassi will perform on Friday, Feb. 18 at the Carrboro Arts Center. (20:00)

St. Dale: Rusty Jacobs speaks with author Sharyn McCrumb about her new novel “St. Dale” (Kensington Books/2005). In the story, a group of devoted fans of the late Dale Earnhardt embark on a journey of remembrance. (17:30)

Listen Here

Mel Levine/Lisa Moscatiello

Thursday, February 17th, 2005

Mel Levine: Host Melinda Penkava talks with pediatrician and author Mel Levine about his book, “Ready or Not, Here Life Comes” (Simon & Schuster/2005). Mel Levine argues that most of today’s late teens and twenty-somethings are entering adulthood woefully unprepared for the challenges of professional life. Partly to blame are misguided education policies that encourage students to become well-rounded without developing specific skills or goals. Levine also faults the allure of adolescent culture, and parenting techniques that teach “everyone is a winner.” Listener Call-in. (37:00)

Lisa Moscatiello: Melinda Penkava talks with singer and guitarist Lisa Moscatiello. Moscatiello grew up on a wide palette of music in the Washington, D.C. area, where she still lives. In her music, she weaves contemporary folk, acoustic pop, and jazz together with traditonal tunes and ballads from overseas. Critics have praised her rich alto voice as one of the best in the business. Her latest album is a collaboration with fiddler Rosie Shipley. The two perform on Friday at 7:00 at The Garage in Winston-Salem, and on Saturday at the Triangle Folk Music Society in Durham. (10:00)

Listen Here

Social Security

Wednesday, February 16th, 2005

Social Security: Last week, President George Bush came to Raleigh to sell his Social Security reform plan. North Carolina has a long history with the program. Congressman Robert “Muley Bob” Doughton was one of the first sponsors of the bill that created Social Security; Senator Jesse Helms proposed private accounts back in 1983. Melinda Penkava hosts a roundtable conversation on how North Carolinians feel about the current debate to privatize Social Security. Guests include Rob Christensen, staff writer at the Raleigh News and Observer; Rob Schofield, policy director at the North Carolina Justice Center; and William Shipman, co-chairman of the Cato Institute Project on Social Security Choice. (59:00)

Listen Here

Mel Watt/Civil Rights

Tuesday, February 15th, 2005

Congressional Black Caucus: Host Melinda Penkava speaks with Congressman Mel Watt (D-NC). On January 4, 2005, Congressman Watt was named chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. (12:00)

Civil Rights: The Civil Rights Movement in North Carolina included events such as the 1960 Greensboro Sit-In. Decades later, some may have the impression that minds were changed overnight and that change came quickly and peaceably in this state. Author and historian Timothy Tyson calls this memory a “self-congratulatory fable” and says the history of the Movement is “(mostly) all wrong.” Host Melinda Penkava explores perceptions and memories of the Civil Rights Era with Tyson, author of “Blood Done Sign My Name” (Crown/2004) and Karen Bethea-Shields, an attorney in Durham. Listener Call-in. (47:00)

Listen Here